Theatricals

 

‘Bossy Sat Nav woman’ decided the motorway to Dublin was the way to go today and for once I agreed. The M25 at 10.30am this was not! It got busier with lorries a few miles out of the city but this was it for about forty miles.

One of the major perks of solo travelling,  is not having to consider anyone else. Being purely selfish and spontaneous really. As I was bombing along the motorway I spotted a signpost to Carlow. No plan to turn off except it had a small sign under it about a ‘Visual Contemporary Art’ thing of some sort. So I was spontaneous, performed a dramatic swerve onto the exit road and into Carlow. 

There’s a distinctly theatrical flavour bubbling up today. Not only is beloved number two daughter Freya working at The English National Theatre for the first time today ( yay Frey!!!!) but the visual arts thing turned out to be…..

An absolutely stunning modern building in the grounds of this imposing college that was originally Ireland’s oldest Seminary.  

The Gallery was Ultra Modern. Inside was similar in architecture to Eastbourne’s own Towner Art Galley, high ceilings and polished concrete. 

Today, apart from me, it was also hosting an international architects conference redesigning their curricula to take on board the sustainability, ethical and climatic problems of their work. Poking my nose in I was intrigued to see they had masses of input on the walls from children. 

Interesting ‘coincidence’ too as this is in an art gallery and is about making good decisions about Place. 

At home, I’m currently instigating and facilitating an art project on ‘A Sense of Place’ working with a homelessness charity and four professional artists. Similar concerns and themes. 

I was expecting the art here to be paintings. It was audio visual. 

My favourite was a Film called One Hundred Steps, shot mostly in back and white and I took video of it but it’s too big to post and the video will have to wait til I get back to my computer.,

Unaccompanied folk style song in the Irish language made my hair stand on end. 

And this ain’t Riverdance! This is the unaccompanied real thing. 

Again I have video but will have to get to my computer 

Onwards to Dublin.

Why? 

Isn’t Dublin a ‘hurdy gurdy’ place? 

Indubitably.

However Beloved number Two daughter gave me a voucher to the Dublin Guinness Storehouse.

Frankly my dears, I don’t drink Guinness and thought it would be dull but what a surprise! It was MASSIVE and TOTALLY theatrical. I loved it. 

But sadly, all the hype about ‘made in Ireland with clean Irish water and Irish Barley’ is all ‘flim flam’

‘Paddy-wackery’ And  ‘Smoke and mirrors’ to dazzle the tourists. I have it on good authority that it was made in Ukraine and now Nigeria. 

The Americans probably believed it all!